Wacan, Uyking rule South Pacific

DAVAO CITY ­— Local talents made their presence felt with AJ Wacan and Johanna Uyking firing 72 and 82, respectively, to rule the 13-15 age category of the ICTSI Junior PGT Mindanao Series 2 on Thursday at the South Pacific Golf and Leisure Estates here.

Wacan staged a remarkable comeback, overturning a five-stroke deficit to defeat Alexis Nailga in the boys’ class with a scorching three-under par after 11 holes.

He secured victory with a clutch chip-in birdie on No. 16, checking a late skid to edge Nailga by two strokes with a 33-39, totaling 238.

Nailga tied Wacan at 21-over total with pars on Nos. 13 and 14. The duo traded double bogeys on the tricky par-3 15th, setting the stage for a thrilling battle of skill and nerves in the last three holes of the well-maintained, challenging course.

However, Wacan’s chip shot from 20 yards found the hole, ultimately winning by two as Nailga dropped another shot on the par-5 18th while attempting a birdie for a playoff opportunity.

Nailga finished with a 79 for a 240, while Joaquin Pasquil came in third at 269 after a 90.

Uyking, leading by four shots over Zero Plete after 36 holes, struggled early, losing four strokes over five holes from No. 3.

However, she birdied the 10th and regained a three-stroke lead, helped by Plete’s mishap on No. 9.

The Davao Christian High School student then cruised to a six-stroke victory, finishing with a 239 despite a round of 40-42. Plete ended with an 84 and a total of 245 over 54 holes, while Rose Wacan carded an 83 for third at 252.

“My driving and long irons were solid, but my putting wasn’t as sharp as it was in the second round,” said Uyking, who shone with an impressive 73 Wednesday.

Wacan and Uyking’s victories thus halted Bukidnon’s sweep of the 10-12 category trophies by siblings Ralph and Rafella Batican the previous day.

The duo also completed back-to-back title runs in the four-leg regional series sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc., having also ruled the Apo leg in wire-to-wire fashion.

Davao is poised for a third title as Aldrien Gialon sizzled at the finish and fired a tournament-best 67, moving 18 holes away from matching Wacan and Uyking’s consecutive victories in the series where the players’ best two results from four events will determine their final rankings.

The top two from each age division, including boys’ and girls’ 8-9, 10-12, 13-15, and 16-18 categories, will advance to the JPGT Match Play Championship on 1-4 October at the Country Club in Laguna, along with the other qualifiers from the Luzon and Visayas series.

Gialon pulled away by nine strokes, with a 221 aggregate after a five-under card in the premier division. He overcame a bogey on No. 10 with birdies on Nos. 12, 17, and 18, turning a tight duel with fellow locals Nino Villacencio and Adrian Bisera into another runaway triumph.